by Patson Phiri and Chapadongo Lungu – SANF 06 No 5
Regional pride will be at stake when five teams from southern Africa descend on Egypt for a battle to decide Africa’s best football playing nations.
Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe will represent the Southern African Development Community (SADC) when the 25th edition of the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) roars to life on 20 January.
This will be the first time the region has had so many teams at the continental soccer showcase. Only three teams from the region – DRC, South Africa and Zimbabwe – participated at the last tournament held in Tunisia in 2004.
The aspirations and dreams of a region starved of success on the sporting arena rest in the performance of 115 players who will do battle against some of the world’s best players.
Southern Africa has won the tournament twice since its inception in 1957. The first time was in 1974 when the then Zaire (now DRC) beat Zambia in the final to claim the title.
The region had to endure a 22-year barren spell before laying hands on the coveted trophy again in 1996, this time through new-boys South Africa. Bafana Bafana won the tournament at home, just four years after re-admission to the international sport arena following a ban necessitated by the country’s apartheid system.
The standard of soccer in southern Africa has improved over the past decade and all the SADC representatives have the potential to cause tremors in Egypt.
Angola will be hoping for a repeat of their fairytale run during the AFCON qualifiers when they pipped favourites Nigeria to the post for one of the five tickets to represent Africa at the World Cup in Germany in June.
The Palancas Negras (Sable Antelopes) were the only team to defeat Nigeria in their qualifying group that also included Algeria, Gabon, Rwanda and Zimbabwe.
Under coach Oliveira Goncalves, Angola are third time campaigners at AFCON, having been to the 1996 and 1998 tournaments hosted by South Africa and Burkina Faso, respectively.
They have enough pedigree to take on any team in the world in the form of players like team captain Fabrice “Akwa” Maieco and Pedro Mantorras. They are in the same group as Cameroon, Togo and southern African neighbour, DRC.
DRC also have a strong squad and were unlucky to miss out on a chance to go to the World Cup from their qualifier group. Their game is built around teamwork and they will also be banking on the artistry of Lomana Lua Lua, a striker who plies his trade in England with Portsmouth.
Although South Africa struggled in the previous three outings at the Africa Cup, they have the talent and self-belief to win the trophy.
Despite the fact that their qualification campaign was marred by player and administration problems, Bafana Bafana have a realistic chance of upstaging reigning champions, Tunisia, in Group C at the tournament. The group also includes Guinea and Zambia.
South Africa has had a bumpy ride on the way to AFCON 2006. The 2010 World Cup hosts only scrapped through to the Nations Cup finals after finishing third in their qualifying group, prompting former coach Stuart Baxter to resign abruptly.
Incumbent coach Ted Dumitru has only been in the job since November 2005. A Romanian national, Dumitru has also coached Zambia before. He took the Chipolopolo to the 1982 Africa Cup tournament in Libya although he was not given a visa to enter that country. Where other teams from the region like Angola and South Africa have the resources for the development of soccer, Zambia believe in raw talent and self-belief that have seen them survive against all odds.
The Chipolopolo has always caused problems for opponents even after losing an entire team in a plane crash in Gabon in April 1993.
They have a fairly young team that has been built over the past few years by coach, Kalusha Bwalya. Their best players are Collins Mbesuma of Portsmouth in England and Andrew Singala of FC Koln in Germany.
Like South Africa, Zimbabwe will be hoping for a better outing this time after bowing out in the first round at the 2004 edition of AFCON.
The Warriors of Zimbabwe are in a tough group that also includes west African giants Ghana, Nigeria and Senegal.
